Page 54 - Mercian 2015

Portrait of a Secret Agent
Brian Giffey joined the Worcestershire Regiment in 1911, was badly wounded at Loos.
He rst heard Russian spoken at the age of 30 and learnt to speak it
at the age of 40 when he joined SIS and was posted to Estonia, later to Iraq.
This compelling biography is a book about belonging, loyalty and identity. It is also a love story.
Tina Tamman
Available to order from bookshops and Amazon for only £10! ISBN: 978-0-993022906
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professionalism due to the ‘MERCIAN approach.’ The net result of this injection of professional competence, was the marginalisation
of multiple low level irritants, and their relocation to Sector 1 (Argentinian) and Sector 4(Hungarian/Slovakian). In short, mission success. All this came with an unrivalled AT package, and located in a 5* Hotel in a Capital City; notwithstanding it should be noted the 5* classi cation is time dated to 1974!
The return to Dale Barracks and closing with the inevitable skill fade of six months away, bore witness to a frenetic period of training. This ranged from the Coy digging in to assume a defensive posture, to a week-long Urban Exercise, LFTT, plenty of tness and of course, living up to the reputation of bayonet ghting. 2Lt Phil Price arrived to assume Comd of Five Pl during this period, and his initial thoughts are captured later.
The Coy has worked extremely hard over the
past year; we have achieved Operational success and re tted ready for conventional operations. We stand on the brink of another Kenya, and
the inevitable uncertainty of the Very High readiness NATO Joint Task Force (VJTF) commitment in 2016. The enduring certainty throughout being that ‘The Bayonets’ are ready for ISIS, Boko Harrem, The Third Shock Army and the Battle Star Galactica; rest easy, we will STAND FIRM, STRIKE HARD as ordered.
14/12/2015 15:57
Major Kelly leading the bayonets
Portrait.indd 1
THE MERCIAN EAGLE